Completing to the intriguing image of a mid-1600s map of the world, this 3,000-piece puzzle measures 32” by 48”. Ravensburger puzzles are made out of fully interlocking pieces of durable board cut with precision tools.
― “We get lots of compliments from customers for their quality and prices,” Mary Horne, owner of J. Christopher in Jonesboro, Ark., told TDmonthly about what makes Ravensburger her main puzzle brand.
― “I've always been happy with the quality of the products and the diversity of the line,” said Janet Gregory, owner of Over the Rainbow Toy Store in Anchorage, Alaska. Gregory was among 24 of 47 retailers who said in June 2009 that Ravensburger is their best-selling puzzle brand.
― “They're great puzzles. We do a lot of them,” said Cathy Albro, owner of Creative Learning Toys in Grand Rapids, Mich., of Ravensburger in early summer 2009.

This 60-piece puzzle completes to 14.5” x 10.33”.
— “They have a great range from little kids up to adults,” Cheryl Richmond, owner of Punkin Doodles in Havre, Mont., told TDmonthly of the Ravensburger line. Nearly 6 percent of 52 retailers named the company as a preferred vendor in late 2008.

The kid-friendly, 3D-puzzle globe is composed of curved pieces that fit together perfectly to form a solid, smooth ball without any need for glue. The 96-piece puzzle measures 5” in diameter when assembled.
— Ravensburger's puzzle balls are selling well for David Hesel, owner of The Toy Shop in Concord., Mass. "We just got a 5' one, which we just put into our window," he said in March 2008, adding that the store has sold 100 puzzle balls since January.
— Nancy Bloomberg, owner of La Toys Etcetera in Cedarhurst, N.Y., was impressed with Ravensburger puzzles at Toy Fair 2008 and recently bought “individual pieces in a new buying program,” she told TDmonthly. “Our area is heavily populated with orthodox Jews so it's important to have non-electronic toys; a focus on games, building and puzzles is generally very strong.”
— Three of 32 retailers said in October 2008 they anticipate the Puzzleball to be one of the best-selling toys for the holidays. “Puzzles are a great niche for us,” said Michele and Ken Gietz of Where’d You Get That!? in Williamstown, Mass., when discussing their best sellers in fall 2008. Ravensburger is among the various brands of puzzles their store stocks for both children and adults.

The 9,000-piece astrology puzzle measures 54” x 76” when assembled.
— “Five hundred pieces and above are the best-sellers,” David Hesel, owner of The Toy Shop of Concord in Concord, Mass., said of Ravensburger’s puzzles. “It’s the adult puzzle business,” Hessel told TDmonthly.
— According to Dennis Hosstedder of The Toy Store in Atlanta, Ga., “We sell [a Ravensburger puzzle] every day."
— “We sell a lot of Ravensburger puzzles… four or five puzzles a day,” Pam Horowitz, manager of Mr. Toad’s Toy Company in Naples, Fla., told TDmonthly in early 2008.

The 24-piece puzzle measures 27” x 33” when assembled. The puzzle comes in the shape of Thomas the Tank.
— Of 45 retailers surveyed by TDmonthly in early 2008, 40 percent named Ravensburger as their stores’ most popular manufacturer of puzzles.
— When it comes to puzzles, “Ravensburger is the best,” Susan Blanton, owner of Pufferbellies in Staunton, Va., told TDmonthly.
— According to Jacob Talkington, manager of Toy Joy in Austin, Texas, his store does well with Thomas the Tank puzzles.

The 8-1/2” 3D puzzle will help children learn geography in an innovative way. The puzzle features 540 perfectly crafted, curved plastic puzzle pieces the fit snugly together to form a solid, smooth ball. No glue is required. The underside of each piece is conveniently numbered to provide arrangement help. A variety of styles are available, including penguins, dinosaurs, dolphins and unicorns. Launch date: Summer 2007.
— “Ravensburger adult puzzles – we sell four or five a day,” Scott Sloan, manager of Toys Inc. in Myrtle Beach, S.C. told TDmonthly.
— “We sell a lot of Ravensburger [puzzles] for adults. At least a dozen every day,” Pam Horwitz, manager of Mr. Toad’s Toy Company in Naples, Fl., told TDmonthly. Four of 45 retailers surveyed by TDmonthly named Ravensburger adult puzzles as their best-selling puzzles.
— “Ravensburger puzzles are my very fav,” said Michelle Smith, owner of Piccolo Mondo Toys in Portland, Ore., in December 2008 of this strong seller in her store.

In this game, players randomly place the 48 picture cards face down around the game board. As each player chooses a picture card, which shows an object that also appears on the board, the others try to guess what it is by asking “yes” or “no” questions. The one who guesses correctly gets to keep the card, and the player with the most picture cards at the end of the game wins.
— This game is a best seller for Diane Robinson, owner of Silly Goose in Essex, Mass. Ravensburger games tend to be popular at her store, she said.

The RC Tuning Boar from Ravensburger is ready to hit the waters. It features two channel radio control and comes with a range of 50'. For use in fresh water only, this boat runs on and comes with two AAA and three AA batteries. Power, speed, and range make the Tuning Boat a force on the open sea, or in the local pond.
— Ginger Milligan, owner of Fantasy Island Toys in Fairhope, Ala., told TDmonthly that remote controlled boats from Ravensburger were a best-selling gift item for boys in her store.

This 2,000-piece puzzle comes out to a finished size of 29 ½” by 38 ½”.
— Jigsaw puzzles are popular items for adults at Amazing Toys in Great Falls, Mont., according to owner David Campbell.
— “They’re coming out with fantasy-type puzzles now for Baby Boomers,” said Shanna Frieling, owner of Giggles Toys & More in Bozeman, Mont. “Ravensburger has come out with dragons and wizards — stuff like that.”
―“Ravensburger is a great company to deal with,” said Dan Willis, owner of Communique Toys in Seattle, in spring 2007. “They have a ramp-up buy at the beginning of the year. They have the ability to place re-orders for free freight at a lesser volume.”

Lotto is an animal-association game from Ravensburger. Either alone or in a group of up to four, players choose their own game board. Cards are then shuffled face down to each player. Players take turns showing the card they've been dealt. A cute baby animal picture is revealed, and the first to shout and recognize the animal on the board collects the cards. The first player to cover their entire board wins.
— "Lotto by Ravensburger" was a best-selling game according to Gail, the owner of Toy Chest in West Hartford, Conn.

Funny Bunny combines fun, learning and educational play all into one game. Players lay the cards facing down, and then select cards in order from youngest to oldest. The player bunnies make their way up the hill, avoiding holes along the way, in order to capture the carrot waiting at the top. Esteem and social interaction are also learned as players cooperate to execute the game rules. While one player wins, no one really loses.
— "Funny Bunny by Ravensburger" was cited as a best-selling game by Danny Givens, owner of Little Dickens in Lynchburg, Va.

This 60-piece puzzle portrays a city scene with fire trucks to the rescue, and even comes with a toy LEGO figurine. A Police Duty version is also available. The puzzles received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award for 2007.
— Eighth place for top sales at G. Willikers in Portsmouth, N.H., goes to puzzles. Owner Bob Breneman told TDmonthly that traditional jigsaw puzzles have grown tremendously, and Ravensburger has grown in sales across the board. He indicated that the Ravensburger puzzle with Lego toys is a particularly popular item.

This 10-piece wooden puzzle has pegs and finishes out to 11 ½” by 8 ¼”. Ravensburger “quality standards are much higher than any of the competition and it shows in the final product. The puzzle contributes to a child’s educational development by helping them learn to count while having fun playing with Thomas,” Phil Aberbach, vice president of sales at Ravensburger, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2003.

Pirates on the High Seas is a super-sized adventure game with huge ships and cannons on a giant 3-1/4’ x 5-1/4’ mat. Launch date: September 2006.

There’s a ruckus in the hen house! That rascal rooster got in and took over the nest. Can the players’ hens dodge their way back up to the nest and save it as the rooster chucks eggs at them? The first player to reach the nest with a hen wins. This game helps children develop eye-hand coordination. Launch date: January 2007.

Bath time can be so much fun when a friendly whale doubles as a water scoop. Tots can pour water into the whale tank and choose an exciting function by turning the red dial. They’ll see the duck swim in circles and the starfish spin, switch the pink sea anemone from faucet to shower, and watch the bear’s boat rock back and forth. It’s easy to attach with suction cups.

Piling penguins takes some great balancing skills. Take a penguin and put it wherever you want on the iceberg. Sounds simple, but as more penguins are placed on the iceberg by all of the other players, it gets pretty tricky ! If any penguins fall while a player is trying to put a penguin on the iceberg, that player must take all of the fallen penguins. The first player to put all of his or her penguins on the iceberg wins the game. Penguin Pile Up teaches careful planning, and cause and effect. Angel’s Toy Barn in Greensburg, Pa., told TDmonthly that “… for preschoolers, Ravensburger’s Penguin Pile Up does well.”
“Ravensburger quality is what sets this  product apart.  Everything we make adheres to the world's highest toy  quality standards making all Ravensburger products ideal for the specialty toy  market,” shared Phil Aberbach of Ravensburber. Launch date: 1990.

The Amazing Labyrinth is a mind-challenging game that allows players to shape the game board maze in order to win. A player’s wooden piece is moved according to the card games selected and the imagination of the players involved. It’s fun for kids and adults alike.
— Linda Graham, owner of Scheffel’s Toys in Jacksonville, Ore., summed up the game pretty well when she said, “It’s a universal maze game for kids and adults. It’s always different and always changing.”
— “Labyrinth … appeals to many different people. We sell a lot of games to families. They play the game together,” was the answer Valla Wagner, co-owner of Teaching Toys & Books in Tacoma, Wash., gave when asked for the best-selling game in the store. “An old favorite was back this year, Labyrinth from Ravensburger,” said Ron Sebert, owner of Becky & Me Toys in Glenview, Ill., in early 2009.
— Just when you think you’ve found your way out of the maze, someone comes along and cuts you off. The concept is easy but the strategy endless, which makes it challenging and fun for everyone from kids to grandparents. The Amazing Labyrinth is often on the best-seller list when games are mentioned, earning it a TDmonthly Top Seller 2007 award.

Where to Buy: Smart Kids Toys

There are 140 picture tiles that show segments of rivers, roads and rails. Players put all of the picture tiles face down in the box or on the playing surface. Each player draws two picture tiles from the box and puts them face up. The players then take turns adding their picture tiles on to an expanding network of rivers, roads and rails. But there’s a catch! Some tiles may have rivers and some may just have roads and rails, so players may not always be able to make a match. If this is the case, another picture tile is drawn from the box and the player waits for the next turn. Once the picture tiles from the box are gone, the first player to get rid of all of his or her tiles wins. For one to eight players.
— “Children can pick it up,” retailer Frances Frinfrock told TDmonthly, “but it’s good for adults, as well.” The owner of Aunt Franny’s Toys has had wonderful success with Rivers, Roads and Rails.

To set up the game, kids snap one treasure into the bottom of each tree and place the trees where indicated on the game board. Playing pieces are placed near the village on the game board, which serves as the starting area. The king’s castle reveals the treasures kids must search for throughout the forest. Once the treasure’s been found, it must be announced to the king. The first player to correctly announce the location of three treasures wins. For two to six players.
— ”We believe that games unite a family and keep kids off television and electronic games,” Kathleen Tutone, owner of Treehouse Toys in Portsmouth, N.H., told TDmonthly.

Created by David Penfound, a young and talented fantasy artist, this complicated puzzle includes detailed illustrations of the 12 zodiac signs. Measuring 20” x 27” when completed, this puzzle serves as a useful tool when opening up young minds to the world of astrology.
— Lorena Lopez, manager at Puzzle Zoo in Santa Monica, Calif., said this puzzle is a hot property. “It sells really well,” she said. “People really seem to like the 1,000-piece [puzzle].”
— The “quality of their puzzles is probably the best in the world,” owner Kathleen Tutone of Treehouse Toys in Portland, Maine,  told TDmonthly.
— Ravensburger, a German-based jigsaw manufacturer, is one of the largest and best-known puzzle-makers in the United States and abroad.

Players get 10 wooden building blocks, a timer ticking per the number rolled and a card showing players what to build in that time. When the time is up, players total the points on their completed building cards and collect tokens. After four rounds, the one with the most points is the winning builder. The game comes with an expert version as well.

The ministeps line consists of 27 toys and books, all of which have unique features that educate, stimulate, and entertain babies. Each product in the ministeps line has been carefully designed to conform to every stage of a baby’s physical, emotional, and sensory development. The products have bright colors to stimulate visual senses, a variety of textures to promote tactile development, and many of them encourage problem-solving.